John O’Shea can’t believe his former club Manchester United have fallen so far

Skipper won't jump ship if black cats go down to the championship

John O'Shea of Manchester United clashes with Gareth Barry of Manchester City during the FA Cup sponsored by E.on Semi-Final match between Manchester United and Manchester City at Wembley Stadium on April 16, 2011

Share

Get daily updates directly to your inbox

Thank you for subscribing!

Could not subscribe, try again laterInvalid Email

John O’Shea knew Old ­Trafford would be a different place once Alex Ferguson left – but he never imagined it would become the Theatre of ­Nightmares.

And the ex-Red claims the players in the Manchester United dressing room must be going crazy trying to figure out what’s gone wrong with the champions.

O’Shea spent 12 seasons at United, winning five Premier League medals, and never once saw the club hit double figures in league defeats in a season.

But they’ve already lost 10 times this season under David Moyes, set several unwanted records, and will miss out on Champions League qualification for the first time in 19 years.

And they’re 14 points behind bitter rivals Liverpool.

From the less than comfortable position of Sunderland’s relegation battle, O’Shea has watched on in shock, and hopes his former team mates can turn things around.

“I thought they’d struggle a bit with the manager leaving, but no-one could have foreseen them struggling so much,” he said.

“Look at Liverpool. They’ve turned seventh place into a chance of winning the League and the position United are in now is seventh place.

“It’s an incredible turnaround and something I’m sure United are worried about. They have to be.

“At the time I was at the club, every time we lost a game it was a crisis. And that was just one game.

“Multiply a few games and it’s a hell of an effect that is has around the place.”

O’Shea shared a dressing room with many of the faces still turning out for United and the Irishman admits there will be lots of soul- searching going on inside Old ­Trafford in an attempt to make sense of life after Fergie.

“They’ve had the one voice for so long and next thing that’s changed and I can imagine ­subconsciously they’re doing the same – they’re training the same, they’re preparing the same.

“So they’ll ask ‘why isn’t it happening?’ Why are they not getting the same results?” he asked.

“You can imagine they’re racking their brains because the majority of the squad won the league.”

Defenders: John O'Shea (Sunderland AFC) (Photo: Getty)

O’Shea argues injuries to Robin Van Persie and Wayne Rooney affected the team’s results at key moments, but adds that they’ve lost the battling qualities they once had to overcome such obstacles.

“I don’t think they’ve been helped by the injuries to Rooney and Van Persie at the time. It was a crucial period,” he claims.

“If you took Suarez and Sturridge out of Liverpool, or Aguero and Dzeko out of Man City – that type of firepower out of a team – it’s tough.

“OK, maybe through the years they’ve been able to cope with it whether it be sneaking 1-0 wins in injury time or whatever the case may be, they’ve found it more ­difficult to do that this season.

“Those 1-0 wins that they were sneaking are becoming 1-0 defeats. That’s where everything seemed to be going against them. The players will be hurting.

“You know the type of players they are – where they’ve been ­challenging all along. It’s going to be a big test for everyone to ­overcome it.”

Summer will be the defining period for the club and manager, as far as O’Shea is concerned, when all eyes will turn to the club’s ­hierarchy.

Will they adopt the current trend for quickfire managerial switches or will they show the same patience Ferguson was offered?

O’Shea said: “I think they’re going to give him the time. But, as many have said, why are Manchester United going to be different to the rest of the teams?

“That’s obviously the question being bandied about so much but I think they’ve proved in the past that they have been different and they got their reward for it.”

SUNDERLAND, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 04: John O'Shea of Sunderland celebrates scoring his goal during the Barclays Premier League match between Sunderland and Chelsea at Stadium of Light on December 4, 2013 in Sunderland, England. (Photo by Matthew Lewis/Getty Images) (Photo: Matthew Lewis)

Sunderland’s captain insists he will go down with the ship if it sinks.

John O’Shea is reluctant to think of life outside the Premier League, but the Black Cats skipper admitted he would help them fight their way back into the top flight if they’re relegated.

The Waterford man’s contract expires at the end of next season, and he admits he has no get-out clause in the case of relegation.

“I’d be more than happy to do everything I can to get Sunderland back up, if that was the case, but we’re not thinking like that,” said O’Shea, during a trip to Dublin.

“We’re confident we can stay in the league and it wouldn’t be an issue either way.

“Look it’s something we don’t want to contemplate, but it’s possibly eight games away now. That’s something we have to realise very quickly if we want to stay in the Premier League.

“There’ll be a relegation clause in terms of wages, but that’s part and parcel of the game, and there were no problems when I was signing for Sunderland. I wasn’t thinking about those things – you’re thinking of battling for top half of the table, not relegation.”

O’Shea was on top of the pile in 2011 when he won the Premier League with Manchester United, but he has had to adjust his expectations every season since.

The Black Cats face a huge task to escape a tight relegation battle this season, but the 32-year-old admits his former club could help his cause when the sides meet next month.

“Is there more belief playing United now? Definitely... definitely,” he admitted.

“Purely because of the hype around the place and the pressure that’s on the manager there, the players there, you could definitely sense it.

“United will be wanting to be finishing the season as strong as possible, but they’re not going to be challenging for the top four unless there’s a very strange run of results.

“It will be a chance to go there and it’s been proven now they’re home record has been nowhere near good as previous seasons.

“Their away record is up at the top. It shows they have struggled at home. We have to use that to our advantage.”

» John O’Shea was in Dublin to launch McDonald’s/FAI Future Football Programme.

The Ireland centre half has listened to months of speculation over the Stoke midfielder’s possible return to the international scene, but has said it’s time to make the call once and for all.

“Is it time for a yes or no? Simple as that, yes,” O’Shea said. “It is fairly straightforward. I am sure Martin (O’Neill) would love to know either way too.

“If he is going to pick him, is he going to show? It is fairly straightforward in my eyes.

“If you want to play then just say ‘yeah’, or if you don’t, say ‘no’.”

Ireland (below) stated recently that he thinks he’s ready to return, having played more consistently at Stoke under Mark Hughes, but added that he had not dealt with the issue despite speaking to O’Neill and his No.2 Roy Keane.

“I’ve had some brief contact with them, but nothing major about my future or returning,” Ireland said. “That’ll be in the near future. It’s something we can have a chat about, we’ll have to assess it then.”